45 



would have led me far beyond my present plan. I have only 

 endeavored to indicate the growth of the science by citing the 

 more prominent works that mark its progress, or illustrate the 

 prevailing opinions and state of knowledge at the time they 

 were written. 



In considering what has been accomplished, directly or indi- 

 rectly, it is well to bear in mind that without palaeontology 

 there would have been no science of geology. The latter 

 science originated from the stinly of fossils, and not the reverse, 

 as generally supposed. Palaeontology, therefore, is net a mere 

 branch of geology, but the foundation on which that science 

 mainly rests. This fact is a sufficient excuse, if one were want- 

 ing, for noting the early opinions in regard to the changes of 

 the earth's surface, as these changes were first studied to explain 

 the position of fossils. The investigation of the latter first led 

 to theories of the earth's formation, and thus to geology. "When 

 speculation replaced observation, fossils were discarded, and 

 for a time the mineral characters of strata were thought to be 

 the key to their position and age. For some time after this, 

 geologists, as we have seen, apologized for using fossils to deter- 

 mine formations, but for the last half century their value for 

 this purpose has been fully recognized. 



The services which Palaeontology has rendered to Botany 

 and Zoology are less easy to estimate, but are very extensive. 

 The classification of these sciences has been rendered much 

 more complete by the intercalation of many intermediate 

 forms. The probable origin of various living species has been 

 indicated by the genealogies suggested by extinct types ; while 

 our knowledge of the geographical distribution of animals and 

 plants at the present day has been greatly improved by the 

 facts brought out in regard to the former distribution of life 

 on the globe. 



Among the vast number of new species which have been added 

 are the representatives of a number of new orders entirely un- 

 known among living forms. The distribution of these extinct 

 orders, among the different classes, is interesting, as they 



